Songthaew
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2013) |
Asongthaew(Thai:สองแถว,lit. 'two rows',RTGS:songthaeo,pronounced[sɔ̌ːŋ.tʰɛ̌w];[1]Lao:ສອງແຖວ,pronounced[sɔ̌ːŋ.tʰɛ́w];Malay:dua baris) is a passenger vehicle inThailand,Laos,Vietnam,CambodiaandMyanmaradapted from apick-upor a larger truck and used as ashare taxiorbus.
Overview
[edit]The songthaew takes its name from the two bench seats fixed along either side of the back of the truck. In some vehicles, a third bench is put down the middle of the seating area. Additionally a roof is fitted over the rear of the vehicle, to which curtains and plastic sheeting to keep out rain may be attached. Some vehicles have roofs high enough to accommodatestanding passengerswithin the vehicle. More typically, standing passengers occupy a platform attached to the rear.
InChiang Maiand its surroundings, locals may call themrot si daeng[2](Thai:รถสีแดง,literally "red car" — a reference to their most common colour in the area),rot daeng,[3]or sometimessi rot.
TheIsuzu FasterandToyota Hiluxare example models of songthaews found in Thailand.
In addition, some models of songthaews — such asDaihatsu Hijet,Subaru SambarandSuzuki Carry— familiarly known asrot ka-poh(Thai:รถกะป๊อ), literally translates to "toad cars." The wordka-pohcomes fromTeochew(pronouncedkub-poh), which means "toad" — reference to their shape. Some are also calledrot kra-pong(รถกระป๋อง, literally "tincan cars" ) orrot-Subaru(รถซูบารุ, literally "Subaru cars" ) — a reference to their brand.[4]
History
[edit]Songthaews were introduced in Thailand in the 1950s. Early songthaews were based onAustin A30sedans. In 1960s, songthaews used British models likeLeyland 15/20,Morris 250 JU,Morris J4,andMorris Minor.In 1970s, songthaews started using various models likeMercedes-Benz T2.
Use
[edit]Songthaews are used both within towns and cities and for longer routes between towns and villages. Those within towns are converted from pick-up trucks and usually travel fixed routes for a set fare, but in some cases (as inChiang Mai), they are used asshared taxisfor passengers traveling in roughly the same direction.
Vehicles on longer routes may use truck bodies and seat around 40 passengers.
InPhuket province,there are several Songthaew (blue wooden buses) services which connect the beach resorts with Phuket Town. The routes operate around every 30 minutes from Ranong Road in Phuket starting at around 06:00 and finishing at around 17:00 (from each end of the route). The price is typically around 50 baht single fare. The bus will stop anywhere along the route and is hailed down by waving. These include the following routes:
Future replacements
[edit]In 1990s, Thai government attempted to replace songthaews with modern minibuses. Thai Motor Corporation (THAMCO),BMW,andItaldesigncooperated for designing Italdesign Columbus as songthaew replacement. Italdesign Columbus had bodywork variations, including minibus, pick-up truck, and delivery van.[5]
Gallery
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A medium-sized inter-village songthaew -
A songthaew loaded with students heading home inAmphoe Kantharalak -
The interior of a pick-up truck songthaew inSakon Nakhon -
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Toyota HiluxMighty-X inSamut Prakan -
Toyota HiluxRevo inChonburi -
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Riding in a songthaew in Chiang Mai
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^Slayden, Glenn."thai-language.com – รถสองแถว".thai-language.com.
- ^"Chiang Mai Transport".15 March 2009.Retrieved15 August2016.
- ^"RED-BUS – รถแดง"(in Thai). NAKORNLANNA CO., LTD.Retrieved15 August2016.
- ^"ประวัติศาสตร์ รถกระป๊อมาจากไหน".Channel 9 MCO HD(in Thai). 2 February 2023.Retrieved27 November2023.
- ^Wagner, Stephan (6 December 2018)."Vergessene Studien: Italdesign Columbus (1992)"(in German). Motor1.com Deutschland.Retrieved7 November2021.
